What Species of Trees Are You?

Two hours later, the main body of Tree Demons finally stopped, once again coming to a halt beside a stream—for Tree Demons, anything else could be lacking, but never water.

And the reason they had stopped wasn't that they thought they were safe. It was—

"Rustle, rustle~ (Can't run anymore.)"

"Rustle~ (Didn't get enough sleep. I'm done running.)"

"Rustle, rustle~ (If we die, we die. Who hasn't died in this tree's life?)"

Ji Ruo, who could understand them: "."

These guys had actually started giving up.

They greeted one another and agreed to be brothers again in their next lives.

Ji Ruo and Liang Shixian worked together to set the Tree Demon they'd been carrying back onto its original stump. Maybe because it was missing a large section of its trunk, that Tree Demon was quite light and moved much faster than the others.

After returning to its spot, the Tree Demon thanked Ji Ruo and Liang Shixian nonstop. Its wildly dancing branches and rustling canopy made Liang Shixian a little worried that it had realized they weren't Tree Demons and was about to attack.

The other Tree Demons saw that this one, which should have stayed behind to await its death, had actually followed them here. They immediately gathered around, swaying their branches in amazement.

Liang Shixian was extremely wary and gripped the Small Wooden Stick in his hand. Unlike Ji Ruo, who still had the weapon he'd taken when the Martial Exam began, Liang Shixian had lost his weapon during the massive Earth Vein shift earlier.

Ji Ruo wasn't nervous. Of course he knew, since he could hear the Tree Demons talking, that they'd only gathered to exchange their last words and chat about everyday matters.

He cheerfully chimed in now and then, truly treating himself as a member of the big Tree Demon family.

Just then, the Tree Demon Leader came over. Its thick trunk and enormous canopy cast a shadow over Liang Shixian and Ji Ruo, while a branch covered in countless green leaves slowly reached toward them.

Liang Shixian's heart tightened. He grabbed Ji Ruo and tried to run, but Ji Ruo didn't budge.

"Don't panic, Class Monitor," Ji Ruo said cheerfully.

The Tree Demon Leader gently swayed its branch. "Rustle, rustle, rustle~ (Thanks, brothers. Things were urgent at the time, and we couldn't look after that brother. Now that I think about it, I still feel a little ashamed.)"

"Don't mention it, don't mention it. It was only right," Ji Ruo said with a laugh.

The Tree Demon Leader continued, "Rustle, rustle, rustle, rustle~ (By the way, you still haven't answered the question I asked yesterday. What species of trees are you two?

"Our Tree Demon clan doesn't reject new members, but I really can't tell what kind of trees you are.)"

Ji Ruo pondered for a moment, then said, "Leader, we're Fertilizer Trees."

The Tree Demon Leader's branch stiffened noticeably. "Rustle~ (Fertilizer Trees? What kind of trees are those?)"

Ji Ruo explained, "I'm not quite sure how to explain it, but basically, we can produce fertilizer. Let me demonstrate."

As he spoke, Ji Ruo ran over beneath the Tree Demon Leader and let the floodgates open to make his case more convincing.

"Trickle, trickle~"

Liang Shixian: "???"

You've got some fucking nerve!

You're peeing at the feet of a Tree Demon?!

Feeling the nutrients suddenly absorbed by its roots, the Tree Demon Leader was stunned on the spot. "Rustle~ (Holy crap!)"

It couldn't see what was happening, but in its hazy perception, those nutrients had indeed been released by Ji Ruo. They really were Fertilizer Trees! Such a miraculous species existed in the world!

Ji Ruo thought for a moment, then said, "Leader, we can digest some harmless Spirit Fruits and the meat of Monster Beasts that ordinary living things can eat. After a while, we turn them into fertilizer that helps us Tree Demons grow, though the conversion rate is a little low."

The Tree Demons exclaimed, "Rustle~ (Divine Trees!)"

Ji Ruo gave a thumbs-up. "That's right. We're the Divine Trees every Tree Demon needs for traveling and staying at home!"

The Tree Demon Leader said, "Rustle, rustle, rustle~ (You're saying you can digest harmless Spirit Fruits and some Monster Beast meat and turn them into fertilizer?)"

Ji Ruo: "That's right!"

Suddenly, the wind stopped, and the trees fell still.

Not a single Tree Demon swayed its branches.

Liang Shixian watched the Tree Demons tensely. In this conversation, he could only understand Ji Ruo's words, not the Tree Demons' language.

So he had no idea what was going on or why the Tree Demons had suddenly stopped moving.

Suddenly—

A Tree Demon inexplicably extended a branch bearing Spirit Fruits toward Liang Shixian.

"Rustle, rustle, rustle~ (Digest! Digest! Brother, please give me a nice, warm serving!)"

Liang Shixian couldn't understand, but that didn't stop him from being baffled.

And this Tree Demon's actions seemed to act as some kind of signal. More and more Tree Demons reached out their branches, extending them right in front of the two men as if offering them food.

"Ji Ruo, what's going on?"

Liang Shixian was completely baffled.

Ji Ruo didn't explain much. He happily plucked a Spirit Fruit and said, "Eat up! What are you standing around for? And when you need to take a leak later, remember not to go too far. Let our Tree Demon brothers have it nice and warm!"

At first, Ji Ruo hadn't expected to unlock a new symbiotic relationship for the Tree Demons.

After thinking it over, Ji Ruo said to the Tree Demon Leader, "Leader, digesting Spirit Fruits only produces the kind of fertilizer I just showed you. We can also produce another kind that's much more potent, but it requires Monster Beast meat."

[Diplomatic Spokesperson] + [Camouflage] + [Sense of Immersion] produced an extremely terrifying effect.

Combined with Ji Ruo's firsthand demonstration and the fact that these Tree Demons didn't even have visible organs, all those conditions together meant not a single Tree Demon doubted him.

The Tree Demon Leader swayed its canopy. "Rustle, rustle, rustle~ (Brothers, did you hear that? Get to it! Let's have a full meal before we die!)"

That terrifying demonic aura and demonic energy were still there. The Tree Demons didn't know exactly what was happening, and they couldn't muster the slightest thought of resistance.

But that didn't stop them from wanting to have some fun.

The two things weren't mutually exclusive.

In an instant, roots surged beneath the Tree Demons. Countless branches and vines spread in every direction, frantically attacking the low-tier Monster Beasts fleeing past them.

The Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Secret Realm had fallen into chaos because of the terrifying demonic aura and demonic energy from the mountaintop. Yet amid that chaos, the Tree Demons began their revelry.

Some Tree Demons even thrust their branches into the stream and pulled out fish after fish.

They caught Monster Beasts and Demonic Beasts.

They followed Ji Ruo's instructions to the letter: "meat from Monster Beasts that ordinary living things can eat." So some Demonic Beasts, after being caught, were tossed aside like garbage. Fertilizer Trees couldn't convert those things.

The discarded Demonic Beasts glanced fearfully at the Tree Demons, who had fallen into some kind of frenzy, then turned and fled.

A moment later, Liang Shixian stared in utter shock at the mass of Monster Beasts bound and suspended before him by branches and vines.

The Monster Beasts were still alive and struggling desperately.

But these low-tier Monster Beasts, already terrified out of their wits by the demonic aura and demonic energy coming from the mountaintop, couldn't break free.

Ji Ruo cheerfully gave instructions. "Right, just like that. Everyone line up and take turns. The Monster Beasts have to be alive so it's easier for us to 'digest' them. Don't rush. Every Fertilizer Tree gets a share!"

They had to be alive because Ji Ruo and Liang Shixian couldn't eat this much all at once. There was no way to preserve food in Ten Thousand Beast Mountain, and Monster Beast meat would spoil if left too long.

Then Ji Ruo turned to Liang Shixian and said, "Class Monitor, come give me a hand. We're having a feast today!"

Liang Shixian stared blankly as Ji Ruo began killing Monster Beasts, skinning them, and cutting up the meat. His urge to complain was overwhelming.

The whole Martial Exam was getting more and more absurd!

"Class Monitor, what are you doing? Don't just stand there!" Ji Ruo urged when he saw Liang Shixian frozen in place.

Liang Shixian took a deep breath. He wanted to tell Ji Ruo not to be so brazen, but the words that came out were instead, "Coming, coming! Should we marinate this meat first?"